Photo: Martin Sidorjak
Denis Shapovalov made the perfect start at the All England Club, cruising past Chile’s Nicolas Jarry 6-1, 7-5, 6-4 in 1 hour and 53 minutes to advance to the second round of Wimbledon.
The 25-year-old struck 29 winners and fired nine aces in the dominant straight sets victory.
It was a tenth career win for Canadian at the prestigious major and he made a rapid start in the opening set.
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Shapovalov quickly imposed his baseline firepower, controlling play from the back of the court to seize the first break of the match for an early 3-1 lead.
While Jarry struggled to adapt to the quicker grass surface, the former Wimbledon semifinalist looked comfortable and confident.
The Canadian would secure a second break before closing out the first set, 6-1.
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The Chilean managed to keep the match on more even terms in the second, as the competitors held serve until late in the set.
The former world no. 10 made his move at 5-all, securing his third break of the match, and again closed the set on serve, taking it 7-5.
Shapovalov continued to dictate play in the third, and at 3-2 applied key pressure in his return game to break for a 4-2 lead.
The difference on the scoreboard was more than enough, as the Canadian closed out the proceedings on serve, finishing with a forehand smash winner.
It’s Shapovalov’s seventh time competing at the All England Club, with his previous best finish coming in 2021 when he reached the semifinals.
The Canadian from Richmond Hill, Ontario won 83% of points on his first serve and was an efficient 14/17 at the net.
He now awaits the winner of Arthur Fery and Daniel Altmaier in the second round.
